place

Dunaneeny Castle

Castles in County AntrimCounty Antrim geography stubsIrish castle stubsNorthern Ireland building and structure stubsRuined castles in Northern Ireland
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Dunaneeny Castle (or Dunineny Castle, Irish Dún an Aonaigh) is a ruined castle on the outskirts of Ballycastle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The castle was home to the chiefs of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg and later the MacDonnells of Antrim. The castle is purported to be the birthplace of Scottish-Irish chief Sorley Boy MacDonnell.Established by Alexander MacDonnell in 1550, Dunaneeny held a commanding position overlooking Port Brittas (Ballycastle Bay) in which galleys brought over from Kintyre and the Isles would shelter.Ballycastle's famous Ould Lammas Fair is said to have started in the grounds around Dunaneeny Castle, now known as Castle Head. In 1571 Sorley Boy MacDonnell ordered the celebration of public games for the coming of age of his nephew Gillaspick MacDonnell. Bullfighting was one of the events in which Gillaspick tried but he was gored by the bull and died. The Lammas Fair can trace its origins to these games and the sheep markets held in the area.According to letters written by the Earl of Essex, it was from the cliffs at Dunaneeny Castle on the Irish mainland that Sorley Boy MacDonnell helplessly watched the Rathlin Island massacre.The ruins of the castle is located on the cliffs overlooking Ballycastle Bay, behind a caravan park, with only a few walls of the gatehouse remaining.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Dunaneeny Castle (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

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Latitude Longitude
N 55.211388888889 ° E -6.2502777777778 °
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Dunaneeny Castle

Clare Road
BT54 6LD
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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Nearby Places

Bonamargy Friary
Bonamargy Friary

Bonamargy Friary is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, off the Cushendall Road on the approach to Ballycastle. The name Bonamargy means ‘foot of the Margy River’, the river formed by the joining of the Cary River and Shesk Rivers. It is a late Franciscan foundation established in 1485 by Rory MacQuillan. It is said that the first battle between the warring MacDonnell and MacQuillan clans was fought on nearby land. At the main entrance to the friary is a small two-storey gatehouse which opens into a store and workroom. Well worn steps lead directly to the dormitory above. Traces of an altar can still be found in the adjoining church, and the locked vaults hold the remains of the celebrated chieftain, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, and several of the Earls of Antrim. His grandson Randall, 1st Marquess of Antrim, noted for his role in the War of the Three Kingdoms, is also buried there. Perhaps the friary's most famous resident was the 17th century prophet and recluse Julia MacQuillen. Known as "The Black Nun", MacQuillen wished to be buried at the entrance of the chapel so that she might be trodden under the feet of those who entered. A worn Celtic cross (rounded with a hole in the centre) marks her grave at the west end of the main church.Around 1822 four manuscripts were found in an old oaken chest in the ruins of Bonamargy Friary. One of these manuscripts is described as "Saint Bonaventures Life of Christ" and/or "A History of the Blessed Scriptures". Another manuscript contained a large portion of one of the principal theological works of Saint Thomas Aquinas, written on vellum, in very contracted Latin and extending to about 600 quarto pages. The earliest date appearing on it is 1338 and the latest 1380. It originally belonged to the Monastery of Saint Anthony, of Amiens in France.Bonamargy Franciscan Friary is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Bonamargy, in Moyle District Council area, at grid ref: D1268 4086. The area surrounding the state care monument of Bonamargy Friary is a Scheduled Historic Monument, at grid ref: D1268 4087.